


House Hunting

by Nakeycatstakebaths



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff everywhere, Murphy and Emori are in medical school, Romantic Comedy, Tooth Rotting Fluff, all fluff no plot, just cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25093447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nakeycatstakebaths/pseuds/Nakeycatstakebaths
Summary: Leaky ceiling chipped floors, Emori is tired of their crappy apartment and exhausted from the weight of all her responsibilities. She's just been in a funk lately, nothing seems to excite her and it's starting to make Murphy worried.Maybe a day away from their responsibilities, a day to indulge in their wildest dreams, is exactly what she needs to start feeling like herself again.
Relationships: Emori/John Murphy (The 100)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 29





	House Hunting

**Author's Note:**

> I have no self-control, I hope y'all like it! :)

“I am so unbelievably tired of being poor…” Emori groaned, adjusting a bucket underneath the leak in their ceiling. It was one of three, all catching murky brown drops of water as they fell through a crack in the plaster.

Their apartment was falling apart, a leaky roof, splintering floorboards, thin walls that allowed them to hear every word of their annoying neighbor’s conversations.

“One more year Mori, things will get better,” Murphy sighed, pressing a beer into his girlfriend’s hand.

“One more year of school, John, then we have residency to worry about. We’re flat broke for the foreseeable future,” Emori snapped, taking the bottle and flopping down on the couch. She knew she was being snippy and unreasonable.

This wasn’t John’s fault.

He was probably just as frustrated as she was. They’d both been poor their entire lives, this apartment was nothing new. But something about this leak, their massive electricity bill and the anatomy exam she most definitely just failed, was enough to push her over the edge.

Murphy didn’t answer, just scrubbed a hand over his face, knowing there wasn’t much he could say to make this better. He’d had moments like this of his own, moments when the idea of having a reasonable salary seemed incredibly far away.

It would get better. Eventually, they would finish medical school, and do well for themselves, give their kids more than they could’ve ever imagined. But sometimes it was hard not to be bitter. There were plenty of people in their class who had never worked a day in their lives, who had beautiful apartments and could afford textbooks that weren’t full of pen marks.

With a closed mouth smile, he sat beside Emori, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She folded into him immediately, a quiet sob slipping from her lips.

He just held her, letting her get her frustration out as he watched the water drip slowly from the ceiling. There was nothing he could do about the leak or about their shitty apartment or their student debt payments, but he could help get Emori’s mind off of all this. She deserved a break, deserved to feel special.

There was maybe $20 in his wallet, but with a little creativity, that should be more than enough.

***

It was a Sunday, warm and breezy, the rain had finally cleared up and with it came the best weather they’d had in months.

Careful not to wake Emori, Murphy slipped out of bed, picking up the bucket full of water from their bedroom to dump in the tub.

He had an idea, but he needed some time to pull it off. Plus, Emori deserved the extra sleep. She’d been running herself ragged lately between her job as a biology TA and studying for all their exams.

Still trying to be as quiet as possible, he slipped on his nicest pair of jeans and a loose button-down. It was quite the upgrade from his usual joggers and t-shirts. He wasn’t usually a fan of nice clothes, but it did feel good to dress up every once in a while. It was like a glimpse into the person he was going to be one day, a doctor, a good husband, and a caring father.

That was really all he wanted in life.

The idea of that future with Emori was what kept him going even on the hardest days, the light at the end of the tunnel.

Maybe a peek into that would help her get through this, give her something more concrete to look forward to. That was his plan, at least.

“Why are you dressed like you’re about to give a presentation?” Emori asked, leaning in the doorway of their bathroom, her robe pulled tightly around her body.

“Can’t I just dress nicely, does it have to be for a reason?” he smiled, winking at her in the mirror.

“If you’re wearing jeans, there’s a good reason…”

He chuckled, turning so he could kiss her on the forehead. She knew him too well, keeping a secret from her was never easy. He was going to be in for a hell of a time when he decided to propose, she would figure it out in five seconds flat.

“Put on that dress you wore for our anniversary. I have a surprise,” he shrugged, bumping their shoulders together as he slipped out of the bathroom.

“What—I—” she stammered, spinning around as he left, but he didn’t wait to hear the rest of her guesses.

***

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope.”

“C’mon, give me a hint.”

“Not a chance.”

“Are you kidnapping me?”

“Yes.”

Emori fake pouted, crossing her arms and flopping back against the passenger seat. She was beyond confused, and John wasn’t going to give her anything to work with.

There was no point in fighting it, she might as well enjoy the surprise. John loved stuff like this, loved doing weird little things to break up the week. It was one of the things she loved most about him, he always managed to find excitement in the most mundane things.

They were probably just going thrift shopping for new sweaters or something, but the idea of a surprise was enough to make her feel a little lighter.

Reaching out to place a hand on John’s thigh, she watched the scenery whiz by. They were on the highway, which made it impossible to tell where they were going, an endless stream of concrete and light poles.

Murphy veered off into an exit, the area around them shifting immediately. Wherever they were, it was lovely. There was greenery everywhere, perfectly manicured bushes, and trimmed hedges. The buildings were shiny, colonial-style facades in matte colors.

The roads were cleanly paved, the sidewalks packed with jogging couples and groups of women with strollers.

“Just for today…we’re rich,” Murphy grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he parked in front of a white brick building draped in clusters of pink flowers.

“John…I know I got a little upset yesterday, and I’m so—” Emori balked, trying to keep her shock from showing on her face. She was remotely convinced her boyfriend had lost his mind. When she said that she was sick of being poor, she hadn’t meant to imply that she wanted to blow a month’s worth of bills on a meal.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. I wanted us to do something special today.”

“Baby, we can’t afford to eat somewhere like this,” she sighed, confused as to why he had brought her here and how he had convinced himself this was a good idea.

“I called in a favor. Eric’s family owns this place,” Murphy smiled, rounding the car to open Emori’s door for her.

Emori got out of the car, still a little weary of the whole thing. She’d never felt very comfortable in places like this, places that were soft around the edges. It was clear that John had put a lot of effort into this. Still, she didn’t love taking favors from people, and she wasn’t usually in the business of inserting herself in places where she clearly didn’t belong. 

“You belong here, Mori. Don’t convince yourself otherwise,” he continued, leading her through the floral wrapped entryway. It was odd sometimes, how well he managed to anticipate her thoughts.

She didn’t reply, instead taking in their surroundings. The restaurant was fancy, tables edged in shiny metal, topped with clean, elegant wood. Carefully, she ran her finger against the smooth marble of the hostess stand.

“We’re all ready for you,” the bubbly woman said, all smiles as she led them toward a table in the corner of the restaurant.

The menus were clipped to wooden blocks, the entrees dotted with words like artesian and imported. It was pretentious, but not necessarily in an unpleasant way. Despite her trepidation, she was excited by the prospect of crème brulee pancakes and elderberry mimosas.

“I see that smile. Just let yourself enjoy this. We’re having a day today,” he said softly, reaching across the table to take her hand, twining their fingers together.

“What’re we doing exactly? No more surprises,” she conceded, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand.

“We’re rich people today—the kind of people who go to fancy towns to eat brunch and look at investment properties. I found a few open houses…I thought it might be fun for us to go.”

“Open houses?”

“Just to give us something to look forward to. We’re going to have all this someday. A big house, brunches every Sunday, hell, maybe even a golden retriever. This is just a peek into that future,” he said with a smile. He looked so proud of himself, so hopeful, she couldn’t help but smile too. This was crazy and ridiculous, but it was so quintessentially John, and it was incredibly sweet.

She was never one to allow herself to daydream, even when she was young, and things seemed hopeless, it was too painful. John was a dreamer, though, full of big ideas and plans. He was so excited about their future. At least once a week, he came to her with a picture of furniture for their future living room or for a name for their future kids.

Maybe he had a point. Maybe there was beauty in looking to the future.

The present was pretty damn depressing, she could really use an escape. It couldn’t hurt, one day in the nice part of town, one day to eat a $25 plate of pancakes and pretend like she was in the market for a house with a farmhouse sink.

“So are we John and Emori in the fantasy? Or are we someone else?” she asked, heart, growing three sizes at the way his face lit up.

“I’m so glad you asked. I think we should have alter egos. Daniel and Kaylee. I’m in software development.”

“Is that why you wore Chucks with your button-down?”

“Precisely.”

They chatted about their fake personas after they ordered, getting entirely too caught up in a backstory that nobody would ever ask about. John was a software developer, and she owned a small boutique downtown. They were tired of the lack of parking and noise and wanted to move to a quiet part of the suburbs to start their family.

It was thrilling, even if it wasn’t real, the idea that they could be looking for a house, that they were at the part of their lives where they were getting ready to start a family.

Maybe this weekend wouldn’t be so bad after all.

***

Murphy leaned heavily against a bookcase, eyes scanning the books on the shelves. By the looks of it, the people who lived here were lawyers, and they had an affinity for books about the revolutionary war. He wondered what his bookcase would look like, what he would choose to buy if he had an endless budget to invest in vintage, leather-bound books.

“How could one person wear so many shoes?” Emori sighed, coming up behind him to rest her chin on his shoulder.

“I was wondering the same about these books,” he agreed, turning just enough to kiss her temple.

They were on their third house, each more opulent and full of eclectic stuff as the next. He kind of loved it, the personal details, flooring, wallpaper, and cabinets. It was indulgent and superficial, but he was excited to put together a house of their own someday.

“Kaylee, there’s a room down the hall that would make a beautiful nursery,” the realtor said, flashing them a smile of pearly white teeth as she gestured for Emori to follow her.

“A nursery!” Emori whispered excitedly, pecking his lips before she followed the blonde woman.

He loved seeing her like this, hopeful and happy. Even if it was pretend, he was glad that they did this. Neither of them had much to look forward to when they were kids, no concept of what a healthy adult life looked like, no idea what home was. But this was a home, or at least, it was a beautiful shell ready to be filled with the kind of life that made a home.

Emori was his home, his family, his future, all of this as beautiful as it was secondary to that.

Kaylee and Daniel, John and Emori, whoever they were, they were in this life together.

***

“Thank you for today, for planning all this,” Emori whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso, hugging him so tightly for a second, he lost his breath.

“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” he replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Shitty apartment or beautiful mansion, you’re all that I need.”

“I love you,” he said, tipping her chin up just enough to catch her lips in a kiss.

She sank into it, cupping his jaw, her thumbs tracing the edges of his cheekbones. She poured all her love into it, all the hopes she had for their future, the gratitude that she felt. Life had dealt her a lot of shitty things, a lot of pain and struggle, but it also brought her John. It brought her someone who loved her, made her feel wanted and cared for, who she enjoyed every moment with.

“I love you too,” she murmured against his lips, bumping their noses together, hoping he knew how much he meant it. “I’m so excited for our life together.”

**Author's Note:**

> Phew. I never thought I would write for Memori but I got this little idea and I just couldn't resist. It was too cute to pass up. I hope y'all like it!! 
> 
> I'm obviously new to this ship so if you have any comments about characterization and the Murphy/John name thing lmk because I'm hoping to write more for them. 
> 
> Much love, hope everyone is taking care of themselves <3


End file.
